


Howling of a Wolf Captain

by MysticWolfShadows



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Pack Dynamics, Pining, Shifters, What Was I Thinking?, Why Did I Write This?, slight crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 05:57:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11224749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticWolfShadows/pseuds/MysticWolfShadows





	Howling of a Wolf Captain

Steve Rogers had grown up just before the Great Depression. It wasn’t the best of times, especially for people like him. Shifters...

When the war had started, with the Nazi’s killing jews, gays, and shifters, Steve had been more than eager to join the fight. He wanted to join Bucky, who was a strong fully realized Beta wolf shifter. Steve was likely only an Omega, judging from his scrawny form, and still hadn’t shifted for the first time even though he was almost eighteen. 

There were many different kinds of shifters: felines, canines, birds, and just about any kind of mammal one could think of. The two most common were cats and wolves, though Steve was a wolf himself. Or, he should be, at least. Even though he had a wolves enhanced sense of smell and hearing, he had yet to shift for the first time, and as he was nearly eighteen, he may never shift. 

The wolf shifter community was much like actual wolves, with a pack structure of alphas, betas, and omegas. The majority of wolf shifters were Beta’s, just a bit bigger than a regular wolf. They were just a bit stronger than a strong human, and had the same enhanced hearing, smell, and sight as other wolf shifters. Only about 15% of wolf shifters were Alpha’s. They had even more strength then Beta’s, as they were nearly four times as strong as a strong human. Alpha’s were always the leaders of packs, usually with a specifically chosen Beta to be their second. Omega’s, however, made up only about 10% of the wolf shifter community. They usually weren’t even as strong as normal humans, or as big as normal wolves, just with enhanced senses. However, Omega’s were very important, as they were the only wolf shifters able to stop Alpha’s without violence when they entered a rage, due to pheromones their bodies produced. They were the most important part of a pack. Not that the wolf shifters could form an actual pack back then, with the laws… 

During the Depression, the Shifter populus were treated much like the homosextual population. After all, shifters, wolves in particular, didn’t have a prejudice against different sextualities. Most shifters were actually something the modern world called ‘pansextual’. Shifters weren’t usually very picky with their mates gender. Plus, they had to be careful about when and where they shift. Wolves in particular were hunted for their soft pelts...

When Steve had taken the serum, he had become stronger. In his human form, he was as big as an Alpha. Peggy, who was a Beta like Bucky, had told him he smelled like an Alpha as well. After that, he had chased after a Hydra goon and had shifted for the first time. Peggy had later told him he was much larger in wolf form then was normal for an Alpha. 

Colonel Phillips had made him take some tests. He was at least three times as strong as an Alpha wolf shifter, and over ten times as strong as the average man. His wolf form was four and a half feet tall at the shoulder, and about eight feet long, with fur as gold as his hair. His eyes were a bit different, as they became a much darker blue. His senses were even more enhanced than before, which had taken some getting used to. 

But he had gotten used to the new form, the size, and the enhanced senses long before he went down in the ice. Now, he had other things to get used to. 

Though Shifters of all kinds are still frowned upon in some circles, there are laws that prevent the harm of shifters and special places within cities specifically made for shifters to change and run around. There was still quite a bit of hate towards the Shifter communities, but not any more then the gay communities. 

He was still used to hiding who he was, however, so he never went to the local shifter hang outs. He went as far into the New York wilderness as he could to get his running in every morning. That’s what his mother had done. What Bucky had done. Out of all the Avengers, the only ones who knew were Natasha and Clint. Tony didn’t know because they never took his full file onto their electronic database. 

Steve was somewhat grateful. 

Things didn't get strange until Fury had them all move into Stark Tower, which was an amazing surprise. Steve had noticed it, momentarily, while they were arguing on the helicarrier, but living in the same area? It was intoxicating! 

Tony’s scent… 

He tried to avoid going to places Tony occupied a lot. The lab, the penthouse, the garage. Not that it worked. Tony would walk into the team floor, and sit with them while they had movie night. But why wouldn’t Tony join them on team night? It got a little… out of hand when Steve found himself, subconsciously starting to turn his head toward Tony to sniff him. 

He nearly got caught, that time. Tony had turned to him, giving him a strange look, and Steve panicked, thankful that the dark room would hide his blush. 

“You gonna eat that?” he had asked dumbly, pointing to Tony’s half eaten bowl of popcorn. 

He got away with it, and got a bowl of popcorn as his prize. His mother would scold him if she saw him now. He started stress eating after that. Steve barely got out of having to explain anything to Natasha by telling her that he was just making food for everyone. And eating the several plates of leftovers. 

His mother would be so disappointed. Bucky would just congratulate him on not wasting food. 

After that, the need to see Tony grew, and he decided that he would make sure Tony was fit as a fiddle. Steve would just take lunch down to the lab. 

“Jarvis,” he said as he made his way to the kitchen. “Is Tony up yet?” 

“He is currently working in his lab,” the AI said as Steve opened the fridge. “Should I tell Sir that you are looking for him?” 

“No,” Steve says as he pulls out everything to make sandwiches. “Has he eaten yet?” 

“Not within the last seventeen hours, Captain.” 

Steve sighed, shaking his head as he made sandwiches. He would take food down to Tony, his wolf instincts told him. Show that he could provide for him. Steve paused at that, then shook his head. Tony didn’t need to be provided for. He wasn’t an Omega. 

Something clicked in his mind, though, as he walked the plate down to the lab. Tony did seem like an Omega sometimes. Small, not superpowered, disabled… Tony was the shortest out of all of the Avengers, save for Natasha who was no more than two inches shorter then him. Tony had to have the suit to fight with them, while Natasha and Clint were trained in hand to hand. And the reactor counted as a disability, right? 

Once again, Steve shook the line of thought from his mind, and typed his key into the pad. The door clicked open, and he stepped inside, the loud music flooding his heightened ears. It was, however, lowered by Jarvis as soon as he entered. Tony instantly looked up, looking rather… confused, and turned to Steve. 

The way his eyes lit up made Steve’s heart melt. 

“Steve!” he called, turning off his blowtorch. “What are you doing down here? Is that food? Aww, Cap, you shouldn’t have. No, really, Dum-E made me a smoothie, like… JARVIS, when did Dum-E make that smoothie? Like, half an hour ago?” 

“Seven hours ago.” JARVIS sounded so exhausted and disappointed that Steve even winced. “And you didn’t drink it, Sir. I had Butterfingers remove it from your desk over an hour ago. Though, it was inedible to drink, either way.” 

Tony hummed, not really paying attention as he turned back to his work. With a small sigh, Steve walked to the bench, plucking the blowtorch from Tony’s hand before he can turn it back on. When he got an almost scanalized look in return, he placed the plate of sandwiches down in front of Tony, leaning against the table as he took one. 

“Eat,” he insisted. “If we get called, you’ll need your strength.” 

While he didn’t look very pleased, Tony did eat. Steve did his best not to preen, not to accidentally do a half transformation and sprout a wagging tail. The one time that had happened had been so embarrassing, Bucky hadn’t shut up about it for weeks. 

Once the sandwiches were gone, Steve gave Tony back the blowtorch, loving the glee that covered the man's face. He took the plate and went to the sink, where Dum-E was making another drink. What was currently in the blender was asparagus, cauliflower, strawberries and… motor oil? Steve now understood why Tony didn’t drink the last one. 

With the plate away, and nothing else to do, Steve moved to sit at the couch that remained in the workshop. He liked to sit in the shop and draw when he could. So many moving things, it was quite nice to just sit and watch. To watch the life that Tony created so casually, even if it was mechanical. 

Before he even knew what had happened, it was hours later, and Steve had finished another sketchbook with drawings of Tony and the lab. It was close to dinner, Steve knew, but he could see Tony laying his head on his desk. He couldn’t bare to wake the man, knowing how little sleep he often got. So Steve carefully pulled Tony into his arms, the man seeming so small, so vulnerable, and carried Tony to his room. It was large, and almost empty, but Steve tucked Tony into bed, and smoothed hair from his face before going to meet the team for dinner. 

The next week or so after that went by in an easy routine. Steve would sit in the lab, drawing or teaching Dummy how to make edible smoothies, then either drag Tony to team dinner or tuck him into bed. On a few occasions, Steve would leave behind sketches that Tony would put on a board in the lab. They went to Gala’s with the team, and Steve realized belatedly that his infatuation with Tony quickly became more… He fell hard for him. 

Tony, however, was ever oblivious of him. The brunette never saw his fawning, like the others did. He hid what was really happening very well from them, convinced most of them it was for other reasons. Thor was just as oblivious as Tony, and Clint and Bruce seemed to want to stay as far from the situation as they could. Natasha, on the other hand, seemed to find it all very amusing. 

Until Shifter rights got involved. 

“No,” Natasha said, rather plainly, when Tony had asked about their opinions. “We can’t talk about it. We are meant to be unbiased when it comes to that.” 

“It’s just a gala,” Tony said. “I’ve put it on for years. People know I support shifters. One of my  _ nana’s  _ was a shifter!” 

“One of your… Nana’s?” Steve asked. 

“My aunt,” was the off handed remark. “Dad was always weird about her. I think it was because of the shifter thing, since he was born in the twenties. They didn’t like shifter’s back then.” 

Clint cleared his throat, getting Tony’s attention as Steve fidgeted in his seat. Like  _ Steve _ needed to be reminded that people like him were hunted into hiding. That until he became Captain America, he had been scared to even go out in public. Tony seemed to remember, then, that Steve had also been born around the time Howard had. 

“You don’t hate shifter’s,” Tony said, slow and unsure. “Do you?”

“N-No!” Steve stuttered. “I- Bucky was a shifter, and so was Peggy-” 

“My nana,” Tony said, nodding. “Yeah, yeah. I forget, sometimes, that you aren’t from around here. It’s more like you were born into an amish family, rather then, well, you know.” 

“I don’t hate shifters,” Steve said firmly, Natasha shooting him a look, knowing what he was about to say. “In fact, I’d like to go with you. To the Gala. The Howling Commandos were all shifters.” 

He meant to say it in a way to come out, to reveal himself, but Tony didn’t seem to get it. Bruce on the other hand… 

“I’ll go to,” he sighed, taking his glasses off to clean them. “I was a shifter. Before the radiation accident. I was a Beta wolf. Betty didn’t know, no one did, but I can’t shift anymore. Hulk is pretty much my wolf side in a giant green human body. So I still have the majority of my instincts.” 

The scientist shot Steve a look. And boy, Steve couldn’t be more grateful. A Beta, right there, on his team. He had someone to confide in again! 

“Then it’s settled,” Tony said. “The Spy Twins can stay behind, and I’ll take everyone else with me. It’ll be fun!” 

And it was. It was great. The people were great, the food was great, and Steve loved watching Tony do his thing. He was so charismatic. 

The Avengers that came were all socializing, though Steve mostly had old ladies to talk to. He knew a few of their husbands from the war, and told a few war stories. The grandson of one of the commandos was there. He was an agent with SHIELD, Agent Triplett. Though, he liked being called Trip. He was a Beta wolf shifter, like his grandfather, and asked Steve a few questions about the missions the Commandos went on, as well as their pack hunts. 

Many of the people in the room were shifters, or were close with shifters. The non-shifter guests were all very government people, and Steve wanted to roll his eyes. Sure, he would seem human to anyone that couldn’t smell his alpha scent, the other shifters knew better then to call him out unless he presented himself. 

But it was because of the room being filled with shifters that Steve didn’t catch the scent of the Alpha wolf until Tony snapped. 

“Look, I told you I’m not interested.” 

Instantly, Steve snapped to look towards Tony, who was glaring at a man in a flashy suit. He barely held back a growl, starting to head towards the two. 

“Come on, Stark,” the man said as he inched closer to Tony. “I’m a wolf, an Alpha. I know how to show you a good time. Just one little romp won't hurt.” 

“He said no,” Steve nearly growled as he came up behind Tony, placing a hand on the billionaires shoulder before pushing him behind him, gently. “You should know what that means, mutt.” 

Many of the wolf shifters in the room gasped, while the felines and birds all snickered. The humans all seemed confused, but clearly got that it was an insult as the man snarled. And it was one of the worst insults for a wolf shifter. Not only was it something hunters used to call them, but it meant that they were less then what they were. Less then a proud and noble wolf. 

“What did you just call me blondie? You trying to start something?” 

“You heard me loud and clear. Now take your flea ridden hide and scram. The man said no.” 

Everyone ‘ooh’ed, all shifters catching on to what was going on. The other man seemed to catch onto the cause for Steve’s hostility as well, and smirked. Steve narrowed his eyes, holding back a growl. This wouldn’t end well. He either needed to get the man to flee, or… There was no other option unless he wanted to shift and attack the man right there. 

“I see,” the man said with a smirk, getting in Steve’s face. “Keeping him all to yourself, Captain? Maybe I’ll just find Stark later. Unless you want to settle this now, Alpha to Alpha.” 

“Are you challenging me, fleabag?” Steve growled, low and fierce, his nostrils flaring slightly. 

“So what if I am?” the man asked, smirking. 

Steve felt his face go blank, his eyes flashing to the dark blue of his wolf form. “Then we better take this outside,” Steve growled lowly, so only the man could hear. “Because there won't be a drop of blood left in your body when I’m done with you.” 

Instantly, the man went wide eyed, a loud whimper whine leaving him as he scrambled back, a fearful scent filling the air. The man was right to flee. Steve was serious. No one would touch his courted. Especially not a no name Alpha. And the man bowed his head in submission, backing away. 

“Sorry,” he stuttered. “So sorry.” 

“Scram,” Steve snarled, head high. 

The man fled, and people started to whisper, watching as Steve turned to Tony. He placed a hand on Tony’s arm, giving it a light squeeze as he frowned. Tony looked a bit surprised, perhaps even rattled, and Steve’s instincts kicked in. Protect. Keep safe… 

“Are you alright?” Steve asked carefully, tilting his head lightly. 

“Yeah,” Tony said as he shook his head. “But Cap… What the hell was that? You looked like you were about to tear that guy to pieces.” 

I was, Steve thought to himself. If the man had challenged him, he would have either dragged the man outside, or attacked him right there. And it wouldn’t have been good, considering how new the shifter laws were. It would have ended very badly. So badly. Though, it would have felt good. But Steve couldn’t quite think of an answer, and frowned slightly, taking his hand off of Tony’s arm.

“It’s obvious,” Bruce says as he walks over. “Wolf shifters are very territorial. If that Alpha had truly set his eyes on you, he could have tried to do more then just get you alone. Steve, since he’s from the forties, knows all the best ways to get them to back off, especially with the serum. He was just doing what he thought would help.” 

Tony seemed to think on this for a moment, then nodded, patting Steve on the shoulder. “It’s fine Cap. I would have called a suit to kick his ass if he tried anything.” 

Steve instantly felt like he would melt. Tony was so independent. It was great. Tony was great. And Burce! Bruce was a good Beta, even with his Hulk problem, unable to shift correctly. Steve was glad he had Bruce as his Beta. And it seemed like Bruce’s words worked, as Tony left without questioning it further. 

Steve let out a sigh, turning to Bruce as Trip came forward. “Thank you, Bruce…” 

“It was nothing, Steve,” Bruce says softly. “Though, I think almost everyone knows you're courting him now. That was some intense posturing.” 

Steve turned red, looking away. He hadn’t meant for it to seem like posturing. He just wanted to protect Tony. 

It was then that he realized that, well shit, he had been courting Tony. He’d been bringing him food, leaving him gifts… Steve had been courting Tony for weeks, and yet he hadn’t known. Tony definitely didn’t know, since he didn’t know Steve was even a wolf! 

“Oh god,” Steve groaned. 

Bruce simply patted his back until he was ready to go. 

After the Gala, thankfully, no one made any guess that Steve was a shifter. Which gave him time to agonize over the fact that he had been  _ courting Tony Stark _ . There was nothing wrong with that, of course, but he hadn’t meant to. He hadn’t meant for it to happen at all. 

However, the reason for none of the newspapers were reporting on Steve’s possible wolfness, was because they were reporting on a shifter that had suddenly gone mad. The shifter, thankfully just a normal cat, had been at work when he had suddenly cried out in pain and shifted into his cat form. After which he had gone feral and left deep scratches on many of his coworkers, one of which would possibly never see again due to the cuts into his eyes. 

Fury called the Avengers in quickly after that. 

“This isn’t the first one,” Fury confessed, making Steve stiffen. “A few others have gone feral before this cat. We’ve kept them contained for the most part, and after a while, they’d snap to their senses, but…” 

“Let me guess,” Tony drawled. “It’s taking longer and longer for that to happen.” 

“Right,” Fury growled, eye narrowed. “With the first few, we just thought they hadn’t transformed in a while. That can make a shifter go feral if they get under extreme stress.” 

“Seen that happen to a few of the commandos at the beginning of the war,” Steve said, frowning. “But with the laws, now, there shouldn't be a problem with transforming before that happens.” 

“Maybe someone is forcing them to go feral?” Clint suggested. “I mean, Shifters are still hated in some circles, and if this becomes a thing people are actually worried about, then people could start demanding that Shifters are, I don't know, put down or something?” 

“That is quite the concern,” Thor mused, scratching his chin. “Would be a shame to loose such noble warriors.” 

“Damn straight,” Fury said, eyes focused on Steve. The blond fidgeted, reaching to grab his cup. “We think that Hydra is behind this. “

Steve's hand clenched the cup, making it shatter. Everyone turned to look at him, but he was focused on fury. 

“Hydra?” he growled. “You have a list of bases for our next strike, and you haven't done anything yet?”

“We have to be careful with who we send in,” Fury said quickly, too quickly, in an attempt to calm Steve. “If they have something, anything, that makes shifters go feral, we can't risk sending one in.”

“I don't care. People's lives, their very way of living that they worked so hard for… It's all at risk. So, Director, you'll tell me exactly which base you suspect is developing this, and the Avengers are going to go take it down immediately.” 

Everyone stared at him, unsure of what to do. Fury didn't look at all startled, and held out a flash drive. Steve took it, nodding for the team to follow him out. They did, leaving Fury to think over why he should have just told them. Tony came up to Steve's side, frowning a bit. 

“Hey, Cap,” he said, instantly gaining the blond's attention. “I know you, like, hate Hydra and all that, but you're really okay with shifters?” 

“Of course,” Steve said, taken aback. “Many of my friends were shifters. Actually, all of them were.” 

“Right,” Tony said, heading for his suit. “I got the coordinates to this research base, though. Wanna head out and destroy the place? I'm interested in the research they used. If we can reverse engineer it, then we may be able to stop shifters from going feral.” 

Weather or not Steve agreed to go, he knew with undying certainty, that Tony would go attack the base anyway. So he agreed, asking the others join join them. They found it with ease, since it was rather tall and in the middle of an open field. Not much for security… 

The attack went fast. With quick moves, easy wins, and a treasure trove of research for Tony and Bruce to look through, Steve counted it as a win. He put his shield to his back,not seeing any more Hydra goons, and turned to tell Tony to gather up what he wanted. That's when the gas hit his face. 

Breaking into fits of coughs, Steve tried to cover his mouth, to tell Tony to run, to grab for his shield all at the same time. He had already inhaled to much of it, and there was no telling what the serum would do to this feral making mist. There was no way of knowing if he would attack the team, attack Tony. 

Tony, as the idiot genius he is, didn't run. He stood, probably from shock though Steve couldn't see his face through the faceplate, and watched as Steve felt his body forced into his wolf form. His vision blurred, the red and gold of the Iron Man suit a hazy image as he felt his skin grow fur, his bones snap to be rearranged. He could smell fear, as the feralness sharpened his senses. Steve tried to keep his human form. He was frightening Tony. He was… 

XxXXxX

Tony Stark was many things: businessman, superhero, engineer, shifter supporter, as well as... other things. But there was one thing that Tony rarely was. 

Afraid. 

As Tony stood in frozen shock, watching as normal and friendly Steve was turned into a massive growling wolf, he was definitely afraid. Wolf!Steve writhed, tearing and ripping at the Captain America uniform twisted around him. The thick coat of golden fur burst through as towering muscles of wolven beast flexed freely. Surprised, Tony took a step back, the suits metal feet clanking and drawing the dark blue eyes of Steve. 

“Whoa there,” Tony said, holding up his hands as Steve started to stalk towards them. “Whoa there Steve! It's me, Tony. Iron Man.” 

The growls soared in volume, making Tony jump as he hit wall. Desperate, and needing to call for any nearby help, Tony flipped up the face plate. The reaction was instantaneous. Steve stopped, making the wolf equivalent of a confused frown, and tilted his head. It was a miracle, really. Steve  _ recognized  _ him. When shifters go feral, they rarely recognized anyone. 

So, trying to put Steve at ease, Tony did the one thing you're never supposed to do when confronting a feral shifter of any kind. He made himself vulnerable by stepping out of the suit. And Steve turned from a growling beast, to an overjoyed and oversized puppy. 

The super soldier turned wolf - super wolf? - gave a happy bark, and rubbed his fluffy head against Tony’s stomach. He nearly knocked Tony over, but was quickly curling his way around Tony’s legs anyway. Steve was massive, Tony thought then, as he scratched behind Steve's ears. The man, as a wolf, was so much bigger then the wolves he'd seen. Steve was even nearly twice as big as his- as Nana Peggy. 

“Well,” Tony said as he put a command in the suit to fly home. “We should probably find a sample of that gas stuff. See if there's a way to make you not a wolf.” 

Steve tilted his head at him in confusion, but followed Tony over to where he'd seen a storage room anyway. Tony was just glad that the guy wasn't aggressive. When Tony opened the storage room, he found that it was less storage room and more of a kennel. While there were shelves of meat, and of gas canisters and needles, they weren’t the prominent part of the room. Three wide cages line the far wall, made of thick bars that seemed to have barbs on them. There was blood, a lot of it, particularly from the one to the right, where a woman was laying on the ground. She was completely bare, her body slumped against the front of the cage. Her stomach and chest had been torn to shreds, probably from throwing herself against the bars. 

Wolf!Steve was in front of the cage in seconds, growling as he opened his mouth wide, bracing himself before clamping his maw on a fairly barbless bar and pulled. The bars creaked, almost not bending, before the entire front of the cage was broken off. The woman slumped, falling to the floor, and Tony could see that she was dead. And that she wasn’t the only occupant of the cage. 

In the corner, so much smaller then should be physically possible, was a single wolf. No, Tony realized at the little wolf jumped to block Steve from reaching the woman. This tiny, trembling, whimpering rather then growling wolf was a  _ pup. _ As in a  _ child  _ in wolf form. Shifters couldn’t transform until they were at least teenagers, but for a shifter to be a pup, they had to be younger then ten. 

Tony wasn’t sure what he had expected Steve to do. Steve, if he was a shifter, was an alpha. That was clear from the way the alpha at the Shifter Support Gala had turned tail and ran when Steve had practically growled the man away. But of all the possibilities, Tony had never expected Steve to tilt his head back and howl. A long, sorrowful thing of a howl. A booming, promising pledge of a howl. And then the little pup of a wolf joined in. 

He didn’t have to be a wolf to understand what was happening. Steve was taking responsibility for the woman’s death, for her pup that was left behind. And the pup, in return, was accepting Steve’s proposal. The pup was letting himself be adopted into Steve’s pack. 

The howling ended, and Steve leaned forward, grabbing the pup by the scruff of his neck with his mouth. The pup didn’t struggle, simply letting Steve carry him as Steve moved to Tony. The man got a look from the Super soldier turned wolf, as if to say ‘look what I got’. Tony laughed, nervously, because what the hell was he supposed to tell Steve when the guy was back to normal. 

With nothing else to do, Tony grabbed one of the canisters, and followed Steve out of the kennel. There was a SHIELD agent examining the tattered remains of the Captain America uniform, and another taking photo’s of the notes in a filing cabinet. Natasha was standing to one side, supervising, and likely waiting for them. 

Only, Steve didn’t seem to like the others being there. 

The thick furred wolf, massive and no longer puppy like, growled, and shoved the wolf pup into Tony’s arms. The brunette barely had a millisecond to process what was happening, before Steve was getting ready to attack. And, like the idiots they were, the SHIELD agents turned to look at them, and Natasha started to walk towards him. 

“Stop!” Tony said quickly, making everyone freeze. 

Steve turned his head, still in position to charge. But he didn’t, and that’s what mattered. So Tony took a deep breath and did the one thing he swore he never would. He acted like an omega. 

“Steve,” he practically whined. “Steve!” 

The pup in his arms instantly began to whimper with Tony, already bonded with him in ways that made Tony feel a little ill. Steve, on the other hand, forgot his grudge against Natasha and the SHIELD agents, in favor of comforting Tony. He nuzzled Tony’s cheek, licking at Tony’s face and then the pup’s in an effort to sooth them, and apologize for upsetting them. And Tony stopped with his Omega noises, and the pup followed his example. 

Steve, thankfully, didn’t return to his possible attack of Natasha and the agents. He simply paced his way in circles around Tony, eyes narrowed and daring the agents to move. Tony and Natasha shared a look, and she led the two agents out. 

His phone, which he really should have used when all of this began, began to buzz in his pocket. Steve’s ears perked, turning to look at the soft glow now coming from his pocket as Tony set down the pup. He pulled the phone out, noticing the caller ID for Natasha, and answered. 

“Hey Nat,” Tony said, trying to push Steve’s face away, and trying to keep the pup from wandering off. “Steve got gassed but seems to like me and is treating me like pack Omega, so…” 

“We already have a containment unit waiting for you,” she said. “I had expected that something like this would happen, though Steve’s attachment to you is a surprise. Just come out and lead him inside and we can send it anywhere you want.” 

“He’s a giant fucking wolf that’s almost as tall as me. How am I supposed to lead him into a containment unit?” He walked towards the exit anyway, Steve scooping up the pup and following in confusion. Then Tony paused, and scowled. “What do you mean you expected this?” 

“We didn’t want to risk the information getting out without his permission, so it wasn’t in the electronic copies of his file, but Steve is a Shifter. All of the Commando’s were. He knew the risks and he went. Now, we have to help him. So get him out here. The unit is directly against the door.” 

Natasha instantly hung up, not letting Tony get in another word. So Tony continued on to the exit. The doors are already open for him, and Steve and the pup, so Tony stepped right into the containment unit, a big white box as big as a bedroom, with a bed and even a bathroom. He sits on the bed, patting it to try and get Steve to follow, but the super wolf was having none of it. 

He growled, glancing around, as if he could see invisible enemies everywhere. Tony was having none of it. 

“Steve,” he nearly purrs, as innocent as possible.

The wolf looks at him, then huffs before walking into the unit. Tony smiles, pleased, and takes the pup to wash in the sink as the doors slam closed. Steve growls lightly, as if to say ‘I told you this would happen’. He shrugged, rubbing the pup down in the sink until the water went from a rusty brown-red to clear, then used a towel to rub the pup dry. He'd have to think of a better name for the kid besides ‘pup’. 

By the time they reached the Helicarrier, Steve had settled down and laid out on the bed, the pup trying to get him to play by tugging on his ears. Tony watches, trying to find something to use as a water bowl. Fury shows up with food, and water, and a lecture at the ready. 

“Not my fault,” Tony said absently, taking the food from a slot in the door to pick out anything he though the pup shouldn't eat. There was steak, what looked like rices, and a jug of water big enough to flood the middle east. “I didn't know, so how can I be blamed for this?” 

“I'll find a way to pin that-” Fury jabbed a finger at the pup still gnawing at Steve’s tail. “-on you. Stark, you're going to hand the puppy over to be put in a nature preserve, and we're going to contain Rogers until he's bad to normal.” 

“No,” Tony said instantly, holding out the rice bowl with some shredded steak mixed in for his-  _ the  _ pup, and set the other steak in front of Steve. Captain Claws-and-Fangs, however instantly pushed it back to him, growling to tell him and the pup that ‘Omega eats first’. The pup looks at his food, then Tony, and sat obediently until Tony gave in and ate half the steak before giving it back to Steve. He seemed pleased, and gave the pup a quick lick to show that he could eat. 

“What do you mean?” Fury asked, growling himself. Steve looked up with a growl of his own. “You aren't equipped to handle this situation.” 

“Riiight,” Tony drawled, pulling out his phone to start hacking into the containment units flight plan. “Because Steve totally hasn't adopted me as pack Omega for some reason. You of all people should know what happens when you take the Omega from an Alpha.”

“But you _ aren't  _ an Omega,” Fury hissed, the vein at his temple throbbing so hard, Tony was surprised it didn't burst. “You aren't even a shifter!” 

Steve growled, jumping up to his paws. He threw himself at Fury, so strong that he cracks the glass of the window. The SHIELD director actually finches, eyes widening as Tony reached forward, running his hands along the fur of Steve's neck. The Alpha calmed himself, but stares at Fury as the containment unit takes off, heading for Tony’s upstate woodland mansion. 

He'd thought hard about where they would go, what they would do. Their best option was to head to that god forsaken mansion. Tony hadn't really been there since his parents died. Since… they left him to figure out his body again… 

The containment unit lands with a soft thump, the doors sliding open instantly. The pup runs out, tumbling on the grass in excitement as Steve slowly follows, looking around. Tony follows after him, chewing his lip as he tried to resist his instincts and join Steve and the pup. He only ever came to this place when he was near feral, and with Steve and Pup, he wasn't sure he could keep himself from falling into a similar state as the other two. 

Only, he realized as he hears a chirpy little giggle, the pup isn't stuck like Steve. And there, playfully wrestling with Steve, was a boy with a mess of brown hair. The boy looked up, the bright eyes that were twin mirrors of the pup, and Tony knew that he could let the boy run around naked. He'd catch a cold! 

“Pup,” Tony called, and the boy was quickly running to him, grinning like mad and ready to do whatever Tony told him. “We're going inside, okay kid?” 

The boy nods quickly, taking Tony’s hand into his own, and letting Tony lead him towards the mansion. Steve follows after them, though it's clear that he wouldn't be going inside with them. After all, the mansion had been locked for months, and no one but Tony came here. The inside would only smell stalley like Tony himself. Of Tony in… 

He took a deep breath, shaking the thought off as he unlocked the door. The boy, probably no older then six, went wide eyed at the inside of the mansion. Very rarely did any normal people come out to this building, even before Tony’s parent's died. And even then, it was usually on Tony and his mom, and sometimes Aunt Peggy. While anyone who walked in wouldn't see it, any shifter would see that the mansion was meant to be for shifters in their animal forms. 

“So what's you're name?” Tony asked as he scooped the kid up into his arms. “Cuz as tiny as you are, I can't keep calling you Pup.” 

“Peter,” the kid said, still looking around the mansion at the shiny crystals that hung from the ceiling. “We stay here?” 

“For a while,” Tony said, carrying Peter up to one of the bedrooms, wondering if he can find some of his old clothes. “Once we're done here, we'll be going back to New York city.”

“Queens?” Peter asked. “Mama said she from Queens.” 

“Not quite Queens. Manhattan. It's near Queens, though.” 

Peter nods, jittery with excitement. He doesn't seem to mind that his mother was… gone. Hydra probably really fucked this kid over. His mother was dead, there was probably no evidence of his father, and since he was  _ five  _ and could transform, he had probably been experimented on. 

Tony does end up finding some clothes that sort of fit Peter, though they hung baggily off of Peter's little body, and the little boy runs off to explore. Steve was coming in through the front door, dragging something that looks suspiciously like… Oh god, was that a deer?! 

He hurried over, more then a little freaked out that  _ Steve  _ had  _ killed and dragged a fucking deer into the mansion!  _ Sure, he had seen dead animals, and even learned to cook them from his Aunt Peggy, but he had never imagined Steve hunting and killing  _ anything _ . Sure, he had been in a war, and killed Nazi's, but other then that… 

“How did you even hunt on your own?” Tony nearly shrieked, reaching out to touch it, but also… not wanting to touch it. “What am I saying? You're, like, the size of a truck and faster then one. Of course you can hunt on your own. But, seriously Steve, dragging it across my carpet? Seriously?” 

Steve looks up at him, licking the blood from his muzzle as he waits for Tony to take the deer. It was  _ so weird  _ to see Steve, all bushy gold fur and big wolf muscles, standing over an animal that he had killed. He knew that it was something Alphas did, but… still weird. 

Without a word, Tony turned and walked away, needing a drink and wanting desperately to just go to bed. 

He woke up the next day with a slight hangover, and the weight of a child on his lap. A fuzzy warmth is pressed to his back, around his sides. And when Tony looks, he finds that they're in the living room, with Peter sprawled over his legs and Steve propping Tony up into a nice gentle incline. It was nice, he couldn't help but think. It was very nice. 

Tony got up then, setting Peter to the side, and going to see what had become of the deer. Turns out, he makes damn good venison when drunk off his rocker. He gets some, reheats it, and takes it to place it somewhere Steve and Peter will find it before heading outside. He needed to relax. He needed… 

He pulls off his clothes, eager to be rid off the smelly things. He might as well hit two birds with one stone… So he tossed his clothes into the washed, trusting Jarvis, though silent here, to start it. And then, returning outside, Tony lets his bones crack, fur burst out of his skin, and body transform. 

And then, Tony shook his dark and well groomed wolven fur, and trotted off to walk around outside. Leaves crunched familiarly, but strangely, under his paws. As much as he loved his tech, loved the change of the universe around him, led by him, he missed the days days. When his mother, a Beta whose parents scorned her for being anything but an Omega, and his Nana, another Beta wolf who was strong and proud like an Alpha, would take him here and show him  _ everything _ . 

Tony walked, rolled in the grass to rejoin with nature in a way he hadn't since he was seventeen. It felt nice. So, so nice… 

Soon, Steve and Peter were miraculously next to him. They ran, and played, Tony doing his thing as he gave playful bats at Peter. He knew things would change when Steve was back to normal, but Tony was already accepting this. He accepted, for some reason, that he was the Omega of Steve's pack. He'd even admit it if reporters (for whatever reason) asked if he was. While he'd hidden (at his fathers insistence and disgust) that he was a Shifter (much less an Omega human-shifter hybrid), he was tired of hiding. He wanted to have this forever. His Omega instincts were coming back out… 

The next few days follow a very, very, simple routine. Tony wakes first and preps breakfast, then goes out to relax in the sun before Steve and Peter join him and they either sit and watch Tony (Steve) or run around and play with Tony (Peter). After that, Steve would go off to hunt while Tony would take Peter inside to give him a good lunch from the leftover dinner from the night before, then a bath, and then spend the rest of the day with Tony teaching Peter things about living in Manhattan. They ended their days with Steve bring in a deer, a pile of rabbits, or a pile of birds, which Tony would cook with Peter before they ate, and all settled down together. It was usually in wolf form, with Tony laying on his side, back pressed into Steve’s fur, and Peter nestled to cuddle into Tony’s belly. 

This was their routine for days, and Tony began to forget. He began to forget how he was a failure of a man, a mate, a shifter… But, with Steve to be there, with his rumbling chest of approval as he plays of teaches Peter, or when Tony lets the Alpha nuzzle and nip at him. It was good, and Tony began to forget that this wasn’t what his life was meant to be. 

But, thankfully, all good things come to an end, and this good thing did before Tony could really hall into everything. 

XxXXxX

When Steve wakes up, he’s cold, but… warm. He’s naked, and he’s laying on his stomach on carpet. It’s soft carpet, true, like people were expected to be sleeping naked on it, but it doesn’t change the fact that his back and one of his sides is freezing from cold. His front was warmed by the carpet, but his left side was… All along his left side was a feel of soft fur. So, so soft. 

Curious, Steve turned, eyes finding immaculately groomed dark, dark fur. He could see the outline of a rather small wolf, a single ear flicking. No, not small wolf, his nose told him. Omega. And… while the Omega scent was clear and oddly familiar, there was another scent, less familiar but also very familiar? It was younger, Beta, and still changing. 

Before he could really question what was going on, a boy, no older then five and to young to have presented yet, popped his head over the other wolves belly. The big brown eyes were that of a strangers, but something in Steve's mind told him ‘my pup’. A name even came to mind. Peter. 

“Papa,” the boy chirped, then shook the Omega to try and wake the wolf. “Papa, Papa!” 

Steve wanted to tell the boy to stop, to not bother the sleeping Omega, but the Omega was already opening his eyes. The intelligent, sleepy brown eyes were to familiar to ever forget. They were  _ Tony’s.  _ The genius, Steve's lovely genius Tony, was a Shifter. An  _ Omega  _ shifter. 

Tony turned, huffing lightly before transforming back into a human, and walking, completely  _ naked _ , out of the room with a yawn. The boy - also naked? - skipped after him, and Steve tried desperately to find something to cover himself with. What the hell was going on? Why was Tony being so nonchalant? WHO WAS THE KID?! 

When Tony came back, Steve rushed to use a pillow from a nearby couch to cover his front as he sat on his rear. The boy was holding a plate, with what looked like eggs, bacon, and a pile of blueberries. Tony was holding another, larger then the boys, and set it in front of Steve on the floor. The Omega gave a soft yawn, eating one of the thick bacon strips before moving to go towards a door. 

“Thank you?” Steve said, though it was definitely more of a question. 

Tony froze, halfway to the door, and turned slowly towards him. They stared at each other, and Steve wasn't sure what to say to him. Then, the brunette transformed and scurried out the door. Steve wasn't sure how to react to that, and was left with the boy, Peter, as he ate his breakfast. 

Then his phone buzzed, and Steve wearily answered. “Hello?” 

“Jarvis said that the gas wore off,” Natasha’s voice said from the other end. “I'm heading out to come get you guys. How's your head?” 

Steve glanced at Peter, the boy, and tentatively accepted the large plate when it was pushed towards him. He was still confused, and his feral like brain over the past… however long had made his memory fuzzy. 

“Got a bit of a memory gap,” he confessed. “And I'm sort of naked? Do you-” 

He jumped, cut off as the boy clamored to his feet. Peter gave a few excited hops, then ran to one of the couches, pulling on a- Oh! Since when had clothes been there? Now in a somewhat baggy shirt that was long and nearly went to Peter's knees, before hurrying back to Steve with a neatly folded set of clothes. 

“Steve?” 

“Nevermind,” Steve said, taking the clothes. “There's this kid here, and he just gave me some clothes.” 

“Right. That pup.” 

“I'm really confused,” Steve said, getting dressed with the phone pressed between his ear and shoulder. He considered mentioning that Tony was a Shifter, had run away from him, but knew that it was wrong to out someone. “Tony ran off when I woke up. What happened?” 

“You got gassed by their feral mixture,” she explained plainly. “The kid is probably the pup that you both rescued before you left. You've been at the Stark’s upstate mansion for the last two weeks.” 

Steve nearly dropped the phone, in the middle of putting on his shirt. “I'm sorry, but it sounded like you said  _ two weeks _ .” 

“I did. I'll be there in a few hours.” 

And just like that, she hung up, leaving Steve to turn to the boy, who was now running around- Holy mother Mary! That boy  _ had  _ presented! The little brunette boy was now a tiny little pup of a wolf! 

The boy turns to him, gives a bark, and Steve was so startled that he jumped, stumbling back and smashing the couch with the force of his fall. With a yip of surprised fear, chunks of couch flying out towards him, and jumps back. Instantly, there's another slam, and the sound of claws tearing into carpet. Then Tony, whose wolf form was practically half the size of Steve's, threw himself over the pup, eyes wide and looking for the danger. 

And then, his eyes land on Steve. The tension goes from his shoulders, and Tony goes loose in a way that showed Tony was less relaxed and more disappointed. The dark wolf turned, picking up the pup in a firm but gentle grip with his jaw, and walked out of the room once more, though he turned and walked the pup to the pile of clothes to grab some before leaving. 

Steve blinked, waiting, and trying to figure out what had just happened. So he sat, waiting, until Natasha arrived. He went outside, finding Tony and the boy, dressed and Peter propped against Tony’s hip. Tony didn't look at Steve, though Peter looked at him hopefully. Unsure of what to do, Steve just smiled nervously, and got a big grin in return. 

When they returned to the base, Steve was filled in by Natasha on what had happened. The entire time they were on the quinjet, Tony refused to look at him, and had Peter fiddle with his phone. When Steve had finally spoken up, suggesting that a kid Peter's age shouldn't be distracted with tech, Tony hadn't even looked up when he said in a tone that was rather dull compared to the usual mock. 

“I'm teaching him to write.” 

The ride that been effectively silent after that. 

But at base, at the Tower, everything went a little smoother. Tony spoke like he normally did with Bruce, in that tone that made Steve jealous, and introduced Peter, who was running around the communal area in his baggy clothes. Then the boy got so excited and transformed, tripping over his clothes, as they were now much too big. Tony had given a little huff, but had ruffled Peter's puppy head before gathering the clothes and leading Peter towards his floor. 

Steve, however, followed quickly, not wanting to have to corner the man, but did anyway, stepping into the elevator as soon as the doors closed. Tony, flabbergasted, took a step back, then got angry. 

“Jarvis,” Tony growled. “Open the elevator-” 

“This is captain Handsome,” Steve said quickly, over him, using the  _ ridiculous  _ override code. “Telling you to rock and roll on that 45. Lock down elevator.” 

The elevator jerked to a halt, and Tony was giving him the most  _ unbelievable  _ glare. Tony was angry, but Steve wouldn't be having this. He knew, now, why he had started courting Tony. Why he had treated him like an Omega.Because Tony  _ was _ , but also because Steve genuinely liked him. 

“What the hell are you doing, Rogers?” Tony growled. 

“We need to talk,” Steve said, stepping a bit closer to Tony, into his space. “My memories of what happened...  They're hazy. Did I take you as pack Omega?” 

“You did,” Tony said, stepping back. “But you're back to normal now, and I don't have to pretend that I'm a helpless Omega to pacify your sorry ass anymore.” 

“You aren't helpless. It's one of the things I like about you. It's one of the reasons why are started courting you.” 

Tony let out a startled laugh. “ _ Courting  _ me? No one does that anymore, and how would you even do that? By bringing me sandwiches and dragging me up to din-” Steve was shifting uncomfortably, and Tony was wide eyed now. “Oh, god… Rationing. Right, the 40’s.” Then Tony was laughing again. “God, we're both idiots!” 

Steve was about to speak, say that Tony wasn't an idiot, but Tony pulled him down to a kiss. For a moment, Steve was confused, but returned it. When he pulled away, he smiled fondly at Tony in a daze of glee. Then Peter barked at them from there feet. 

“Let's go up,” Tony said. “We've got a pup that needs to be introduced to his new home.” 

Steve nodded, rather dumbly, with what he knew would be a sappy grin. If he wasn't in a tight elevator, Steve would transform to just howl in pure  _ glee _ . Then Tony was laughing, clutching his stomach as he nearly fell over from laughter. 

“Nice half-trans, Cap,” Tony said, reaching out to grab the wagging tail that had sprouted behind Steve. “Super classy.” 

Steve only grinned, a toothy smile to show off sharp canines, then gave a little howl. The doors opened and Steve willed himself back into human form, to follow after his Omega and pup. 


End file.
